I have a raster image and decided to trace it in order to improve the quality on expansion.

After tracing using Colours and 50 scans I noted that the colours were faded.

I am thinking of exporting the graphic into a raster programme in order to improve the colours, but how would I re-export the image back into Inkscape and form an svg file while maintaining the colours?

I may well be using the wrong method.

The important point is for me to make a sharp image appear on expamsion with well defined colours and borders.

Hello
As a comment, The Trace Bitmap dialog have so many options that sometimes I also get confused.
- It's important that you have an image in high resolution and of a big size, to obtain a detailed tracing. But that will affect the time of proccesing.

- Sometimes, what I've done is reducing the colors of the bitmap image in GIMP, from a palete of millions of colors to a image of 16 or 32 colors, but

- Even in that way, the Inkscape's tracing system interpolate the colors of the image, and based on that interpolated palete of colors, the color of the vector shapes are changed.

Maybe I'm not describing well this method. However my conclusion is that not even reducing colors, the tracing will be more efficient.

- Sometimes, you have to trace by "hand and mouse-clicking", and sometimes, it's the quickest and better way

As far as I know the trace bitmap option works that way. Even a 3 colour scan would reproduce the same issue.
Probably editing manually the topmost path to hide the unwanted edge representation would be the easiest workaround.
Or something similar, as that is the lighter shade? It's complicated anyway.

Maybe 50 scans can be avoided, if you use gradients where necessary.

Usually raster images with enough detail for a good vectorized copy are good enough for large format printing.

There was a bit similar topic on trace bitmap:
http://www.inkscapeforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=14070

Thanks to both for responding.

Useful posts.

I noted an online tracer mentioned in another thread on this board, and thought that I would try it to see the effects.

It produces traces, but I can't see how to make make the images larger in Inkscape, and to save them (larger sizes). I can zoom, but the actual image size remains the same size.

Any thoughts.

The link:

http://www.roitsystems.com/cgi-bin/autotrace/tracer.pl

anon_private wrote:I noted an online tracer mentioned in another thread on this board, and thought that I would try it to see the effects.

I do not want to get too far off topic but that online tracer is based on autotrace

Generally the Inkscape trace is more than adequate. Based sometime in the distant past on Potrace. Autotrace is an alternative to Potrace but no longer developed.

Both potrace and autotrace are available as command line in linux, I checked the 'buntu repo and autotrace is there. Windows autotrace no longer works post WinXP.
It is worth getting used to command line but if a terminal is not-for-you there is a python front-end to autotrace called SVGpage.

Looks like this, and sometimes has small advantages in creating vector shapes. http://i.imgur.com/ubgQwNH.jpg

The main reason why you might want to use autotrace is it will create a centerline trace.

This comparison in Inkscape. http://i.imgur.com/RMIixNq.jpg

Those examples are trivial and of course you can make them from scratch in Inkscape which is usually the best way to go.

Thank you.

Another useful post

Best wishes.